Starting to look at the listings for the next few months after being away for 3 out of the last 4 weeks.
Bo Ningen next Sun. at Broadcast - I definitely want to catch them this time around as it's been too long since I last saw them.
Then decisions to make with JAMC, Shellac, Black Angels, GYBE, !!! and a few more. Looks like Dinosaur Jr + Spinning Coin in Dec. may be sold out already unfortunately.

Has anyone seen The Black Angels on their current tour? I've a ticket to see them tomorrow night in London but am struggling to be enthusiastic about it due to being a bit run down and massively knackered all his week plus the fact my partner has pulled out for a similar reason.

Have tickets to see them (Black Angels) on Monday night which were given to me by my brother who decided he didn't fancy it. I have several friends all of who are the same... not sure if its just due to the glut of gigs we appear to have had over recent months or whether enthusiasm for the band is waning a little.

Laz69 wrote:Have tickets to see them (Black Angels) on Monday night which were given to me by my brother who decided he didn't fancy it. I have several friends all of who are the same... not sure if its just due to the glut of gigs we appear to have had over recent months or whether enthusiasm for the band is waning a little.

Still keen to see them live again, but...

I've only seen them once before, years back at the ULU in London and was left wanting something more from them, can recall being disappointed. Love the Passover album the most and Phosgene Nightmare too. Deciding not to go tonight as I really can't be bothered going after this long slog of a week, especially without my partner for company, feeling a general malaise, plus I'm just not chomping at the bit to see them for some reason. It'll probably be a blinder and then I'll feel gutted, c'est la vie.

johnnyboy wrote:
I've only seen them once before, years back at the ULU in London and was left wanting something more from them, can recall being disappointed. Love the Passover album the most and Phosgene Nightmare too. Deciding not to go tonight as I really can't be bothered going after this long slog of a week, especially without my partner for company, feeling a general malaise, plus I'm just not chomping at the bit to see them for some reason. It'll probably be a blinder and then I'll feel gutted, c'est la vie.

I too have only seen them once before and they were pretty good. Was on the Indigo Meadow tour and, although the album didn't win me over, their live show was still enjoyable. Their latest album is a bit better to my ears, so fingers crossed for a good show.
I was initially planning on going along with my wife, brother and some friends, but then most pulled out so my wife and i decided to go ourselves. My wife then offered up her ticket to another friend as he is a big fan (but a bit skint) but he's then come down with heavy man-flu and pulled out so my better half decided she come along after all... only for her to subsequently come down with a heavy cold and spent all day in bed yesterday ill! I think this gig may be jinxed

Will see which way the rain is falling later... yes, its also pissing down here, making the thought of trailing back out even more of a chore! Might just settle for taking the car, arrive later and head straight home afterwards.

Saw them on Saturday night, and quite enjoyed it as far it went, sound was a great garage stomp, fantastic light show has to said, good start, mid set lull and rallied round to a good finish, I never saw them myself but heard various reports from trusted sources that support act A Place To Bury Strangers were on fire as well if that helps make your mind up any, couldn`t help thinking though they are a bit ... psyche for adolescent girls with some Austin Powers thrown in?? I realize that sounds a bit harsh/unfair and it is because they are really good at what they good, should be a good night I would say and if I had access to my car tonight I might have went again tonight seeing as I`m on holiday till Friday, I`m sure you`ll enjoy it if you go.

A Place to Bury Strangers were quite impressive at LPF. The physical assault their drummer inflicted on her kit was really impressive. She really did manage to generate a ferocious tribal stomp thing. The bass was a lovely fuzzy mess that provided both rhythm and what little melody they produce. As for the lead guitarist, the guitar solo in the second tune involved chucking the guitar about 15 foot in the air and then booting it across the stage as it landed . He finished playing the 'tune' on a guitar that was absolutely knackered. A second guitar was chucked about but not destroyed later in the set, which finished with the guitarist in the crowd. There was no attempt to use the impressive lighting equipment available, they just pumped out loads of smoke and turned the strobes on a lot .In short, no marks for subtlety, but plenty of points for generating a ferocious racket and generally not giving a fuck.

There is just not enough not giving a fuck going on with music at the moment. The LPF was a good example of this. Really enjoyable weekend out, lovely to meet all the usual suspects, but musically just not very interesting a lot of the time. LPF seems to be slowly morphing into a care in the community event for the middle-aged noise fan except there wan't much noise.

Really good Black Angels show last night in Glasgow. Downstairs @ SWG3 venue (first time for me) - decent size and good sound. LOTS of drunken arseholes unfortunately, however, managed to avoid them for most of the show but watched one guy almost get two kickings for his behaviour and inability to not be a dick! Youngsters these days!

A Place To Bury Strangers know how to leave their mark. They came on and instantly dropped into possibly one of the heaviest openers i've heard in a very long time. Like the love child of early Loop and Swervedriver and i can't recall EVER seeing a drummer (female or otherwise) pound the skins to fast or so hard in a very long time. She was just incredible. I need to find out the name of that first song - any fans able to shed some light? The bass player was intent of wrecking his bass, hurtling it about with abandon at amps and off the floor while the guitarist just made as much noise as possible - all in a very noisey but melodic manner may i add! To close out their set the bass player jumped into the crowd and wandered behind us... as the stage decended into darkness, we were considering heading for a pint and turned round only to find the bass player behind us with what appeared to be the guitarist with a mobile disco which he promptly started blasting our some electro beats while the bass player started laying down some heavy, thick bass runs. Was a bloody revelation and i couldn't help but smile! The intense strobes and smoke machine were bordering on harmful, but, y'know, its all rock'n'roll!

The Black Angels had bigged up their light show for this tour and it was definitely one of the best i have seen in recent years - lost of cool swirly lights and projections. Their set was solid and featured a good cross-section of their back catalogue. The new album songs came across really well live (which i really hoped), Comanche Moon and Medicine being two of the highlights for me. I recall seeing someone say there was a wee bit of a lull in the middle of their set, and there seemed to be the same last night; just seemed to drop the pace/intensity a little in that middle point, but they did pull it back together and close out the show strongly.

Glad i dragged myself along to the show in the end. Wasn't the best gig of the year, but was a joy to see A Place To Bury Strangers and a solid Black Angels set.

Agree with all of the above. A Place To Bury Strangers were one of the highlights of the psych fest. they were not subtle (aside from the little interlude the drummer sang) and possibly a bit gimmicky but they really made their mark. intense strobes, lots of noise, great stuff.
The Black Angels were tight enough but didn't seem to have the ferocity that they need, and a lot of this was down to the weedy sound. I think I enjoyed their set better than many in our group though. some songs (The Sniper at the Gates of Heaven, Bloodhound on My Trail) came across well.

They are both playing Birmingham tonight- and part of me feels like going. to see APTBS again (in a tiny venue no less!) and the possibility of The Black Angels with better sound.

Didn't see APTBS so cannot comment. Agree with Olan the line up was quite ordinary but its more of a social thing these days and great to catch up with some good people who I can happily called friends. Thanks always as ever to Olan for his hospitality. We are all of the opinion this festival may not happen next year, just seemed quieter and a lot of streamlining of facilities had gone on. Food outlets 50% down, beer running out and not being replaced on day 2, and the line up was division 2 at best in some cases. That said was nice just not be at work or home !
Acts I enjoyed were Is Bliss( shoegazey type early 90's), Proper Ornaments (a heavier teenage fanclub), Telescopes ( i think i liked it), Loop (very loud and very good), Zoff (outstanding), Black Angels (solid, weedy sound), Wolf people (great prog Psych jams), Endless Boogie (2 tunes 1 hr, job done), Julia's Haircut (cant pin this down but enjoyable). Maybe there was more I cant recall

after recovering from the psych fest now looking at listings for the rest of the year as it's looking a bit bare (only Godspeed and Ride in the diary at the moment)

I am pretty sure I'll do Acid Mothers Temple as can never really resist them.

There's also My Vitriol & Trail of Dead as they have announced a Coventry show. However Trail of Dead appear to be advertised as a 3 piece only which could be a bit underwhelming. also I try not to go to Coventry if I can help it (at least without a stab vest! )

I think the approach might be quality over quantity for the remainder of 2017.

2 nights of Spiritualized in a little over a week! It has been a while since the horrible show at the 2015 Austin Psych Fest (Levitation). I've been able to block it out of my memory, or at least tried hard. Eagerly waiting for them to reclaim my fanboydom.

toomilk wrote:2 nights of Spiritualized in a little over a week! It has been a while since the horrible show at the 2015 Austin Psych Fest (Levitation). I've been able to block it out of my memory, or at least tried hard. Eagerly waiting for them to reclaim my fanboydom.

Gundlach Bundschu Winery (2000 Denmark St., Sonoma): The winery suffered some damage, but the extent is currently unknown. A Facebook message posted on Tuesday morning: “Still fighting the good fight. Thank you so much for your concerns and well wishes. Gundlach Bundschu Winery is still standing strong. More information to come.”

I'm sure you already read that there is a massive bush fire in Northern California, probably one of the largest in the state's history. Already 20+ have been killed, 2000+ buildings destroyed. I didn't even mention homes of which I don't know ? Already they are estimating $ 50 billion dollars lost in property or something like that. Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions were playing at the Gundlach Bundschu Winery ( 2nd oldest family run winery in the state ) this past Sunday evening when the fires broke out. Jason was supposed to play there too next week (Oct. 16 ) in the Red Barn, a 100 year old red barn with a capacity of 500 people. That would have been a great site to see the Spaceman. Because of the fires and state of turmoil at the winery, the Spiritualized show has been moved to San Rafael at the Terrapin Crossroads - a musical venue founded by Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead. It certainly makes it a lot easier and closer for me to travel to San Rafael than Sonoma.

The next night (Oct. 17) Spiritualized will be playing at the Fillmore Theatre in San Francisco.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard announced for Dublin's Olympia next February.
First Irish appearance, and to be honest i'm shocked they're playing the Olympia which holds about 1600 and that the tickets are €25.50.
I must be utterly out of touch as I thought they'd be playing a venue a third of the size with a ticket price to match. I'll still be looking to grab a ticket on Friday though!

Fair amount of bands are lining up dates for next year now, however I'm intending to be more choosy next year in terms of what gigs I go to. (whether this goes to plan will be another matter entirely..)
The only ticket I've bought thus far is for the Drone Rock Records showcase. The only other one I'm considering is Yo La Tengo but unsure as I've found them a bit variable live.

apparently Chris Forsyth is touring the UK/EU in February so gonna keep my eyes peeled for that as well.

CF is playing correct. I was offered them on the Saturday of the Drone Rock records night but couldn't afford it really as Saturdays are busy anyway in the venue and the gigs on Saturday are as a rule free entry.
Not sure what other dates they have as yet, will keep my eyes peeled though

Aquarian-Time wrote:CF is playing correct. I was offered them on the Saturday of the Drone Rock records night but couldn't afford it really as Saturdays are busy anyway in the venue and the gigs on Saturday are as a rule free entry.
Not sure what other dates they have as yet, will keep my eyes peeled though

shame you couldn't get him- that would been a good fit, no?

I'll keep my eyes peeled as to where he might be playing. I do think it will be very small venues. I'm a big fan but I think I probably overestimate his popularity. when I saw him last year there can't have been more than 20 or 30 people watching.. and that was at a festival!

quite tempted by the big Cure show in London next summer. I'm not even a big fan of them, but it's just that the support lineup is superlative- Ride, Slowdive, The Twilight Sad amongst others. Could be a good day out.

I think I'm right in thinking that this is the first time that Ride and Slowdive has played on the same bill, since they reunited? I think fans have been saying it would be brilliant for a while, but they both probably think it's a bit obvious (and have big enough fanbases individually anyway)

angelsighs wrote:quite tempted by the big Cure show in London next summer. I'm not even a big fan of them, but it's just that the support lineup is superlative- Ride, Slowdive, The Twilight Sad amongst others. Could be a good day out.

I think I'm right in thinking that this is the first time that Ride and Slowdive has played on the same bill, since they reunited? I think fans have been saying it would be brilliant for a while, but they both probably think it's a bit obvious (and have big enough fanbases individually anyway)

I am going to this with a bunch I've known for 40-odd years. It should be a quiet day for me, but I am expecting them to be very badly behaved . It is quite likely I'll have guesties for this given that Ride and Slowdive are on the bill.

I was liking the look of this too. Again, not a big fan of the Cure but was drawn to the Ride and Slowdive double-whammy. Be interesting if those 2 are on the "other stage" which is usually a large tent at Hyde Park.

Shinesalight wrote:I was liking the look of this too. Again, not a big fan of the Cure but was drawn to the Ride and Slowdive double-whammy. Be interesting if those 2 are on the "other stage" which is usually a large tent at Hyde Park.

I'll see if I can find out the answer to that a bit closer to the time. I doubt anything will be settled yet as they are seemingly still adding acts to the bill.

I'm also (as you can see above) putting on a band or two under old promo banner of "Mind Exodus" it has a paghe on FB so if you can head over and give it a like that would be great, promise not to bombard you all with daily bollocks!

Gigs confirmed so far;
Carlton Melton as mentioned (support from Stupid Cosmonaut plus our own James T spinning the tunes
Feb 1st- some band called Karma Destination (don't know much about them )
Feb 14th- following a recommendation from Nick McCabe no less, Cat Called Dog are booked to play, big pysch heavy riffs, I like em and they have a new LP out this year
Feb 28th -Mark Peters (The Engineers) plus support TBC

looks like The Cure show has sold out? surprising but a pleasant surprise.
I didn't get a ticket in the end, it really is a stellar lineup but I guess a huge park isn't gonna be the best venue anyway.. (he tells himself)

Tickets for Mercury Rev in April, acoustic and intimate, doing Deserters Songs, this will be intimate, its in a local Stirling venue that I reckon holds about 200, previously seen The Twilight Sad and Mogwai there, nice little venue.

I had thought about Hookworms in April, but i'm really not liking the new material and i'd hate to go along and be disappointed. Would be a waste of a gig ticket so i might ditch that and go for Mercury Rev in Glasgow instead. Another possible one is Thee Hypnotics although i really fuckin hate King Tuts as a venue... might have to suck it up for the night! Will decide on these nearer the time. February is already wiping me out with gigs and releases.

Laz69 wrote:
I had thought about Hookworms in April, but i'm really not liking the new material and i'd hate to go along and be disappointed. Would be a waste of a gig ticket so i might ditch that and go for Mercury Rev in Glasgow instead. Another possible one is Thee Hypnotics although i really fuckin hate King Tuts as a venue... might have to suck it up for the night! Will decide on these nearer the time. February is already wiping me out with gigs and releases.

have to agree. new Hookworms stuff is doing nowt for me so giving them a miss. I've seen them umpteen times already anyway.
it seems like they must have a new PR man or something as there's a big article in the new Q magazine.. and 5 star review in the guardian!

I considered Desert Mountain Tribe myself too as a random gig, they are playing a tiny venue in Birmingham. but it's the night before my trip to Brighton. I've only actually got the Drone Rock Records show, and after that nothing lined up until April.

angelsighs wrote:
have to agree. new Hookworms stuff is doing nowt for me so giving them a miss. I've seen them umpteen times already anyway.
it seems like they must have a new PR man or something as there's a big article in the new Q magazine.. and 5 star review in the guardian!

This is interesting... Last night I played a mix by that Bloodmeridian guy - they are always pretty interesting. I Shazam'd one really excellent tune and it was... ...Hookworms. I was amazed. A tune from the new album called Ullswater. I didn't know they had it in them to produce stuff like this.

I had rather given up on them as the vocals really began to grate. On the new material singer Matthew has calmed down on his shouty histrionics and his vocals sound miles better. I get why people are turned off by the electronic approach - almost dancey on occasion - but there's still plenty of guitars around and that particular Ullswater tune is an absolute belter. Can be easily checked out here:https://hookworms.bandcamp.com/album/microshift

angelsighs wrote:
have to agree. new Hookworms stuff is doing nowt for me so giving them a miss. I've seen them umpteen times already anyway.
it seems like they must have a new PR man or something as there's a big article in the new Q magazine.. and 5 star review in the guardian!

This is interesting... Last night I played a mix by that Bloodmeridian guy - they are always pretty interesting. I Shazam'd one really excellent tune and it was... ...Hookworms. I was amazed. A tune from the new album called Ullswater. I didn't know they had it in them to produce stuff like this.

I had rather given up on them as the vocals really began to grate. On the new material singer Matthew has calmed down on his shouty histrionics and his vocals sound miles better. I get why people are turned off by the electronic approach - almost dancey on occasion - but there's still plenty of guitars around and that particular Ullswater tune is an absolute belter. Can be easily checked out here:https://hookworms.bandcamp.com/album/microshift

So I'm kind of curious as to how they deliver this stuff live...

interesting. maybe I should give the new stuff another go. the change of direction has thrown me a bit and to be honest what I've heard so far sounded a bit like a bog standard indie band who've 'gone electronic'.

it will be interesting to see how the new and old songs mix together live. a big part of their live sound has traditionally been the high volume and distortion (which to be fair has meant the sound has been like a dogs dinner when they don't get it right!)

mind you, they previewed some of these tracks at the Goat support slot in Manchester a while back- it didn't sound that much of a jarring change. but it was rather amusing seeing them wheel on the huge synth set up

runcible wrote:Well the album is there to stream... Jump to Ullswater if you want to see what I mean. It's superb.

Played the rest of the album & I much prefer the slightly more conventional singing style than all the screeching he used to do. They've toned that echo down too which is a blessing.

I agree with you about the vocals Mark. I used to really like the music but couldn't deal with the heavily treated and harsh vocal style he seemed determined to use. The new vocal approach is much easier to digest. I'm a bit unconvinced by the music at the moment. I think I might need to see them live to make my mind up.

My two penneth worth? Ullswater and Negative Energy are brilliant songs, loving the album tbh, best thing they`ve done I think and a pretty straightforward progression in their development to my ears, I`ll be surprised if its not one off my fave albums come the yr end, put it beside BRMC and Carlton Melton as another great album for this yr, looking forward to seeing them next month pretty sure they`ll still be a blistering live proposition.

Been a long time since I posted here.
But...
I have just read the news about Thee Hypnotics reforming and touring.
Bought a ticket for the Brum date about 14 seconds later.
Also, Wooden Shjips -although that's not til September, but I bought the ticket this week. Bit of confusion over the venue but it has been listed as the same place (Hare & Hounds) where Moon Duo played last month.

Would love to catch the Wooden Shjips in Sept if i can so will probably organise a ticket for that sooner rather than later. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks coming to Glasgow later in the year too which could be fun.

rather shockingly only my second gig of the year (after the Drone Rock Records show) will be Yo La Tengo next week.

randomly I'm going to see The Rolling Stones in June. eye wateringly expensive obviously but I'm actually looking forward to seeing what it will be like. it will also be good bonding time with my Dad who is a Stones nut

Teenage Fanclub have announced a set of shows for November playing their Creaton records ouvre over 3 nights. pretty sure I'll be going to one of the Birmingham shows.

That would be Mercury Rev doing Deserters Songs acoustically tonight, saw some clip on Youtube from Irish dates last weekend and it looks great, first time Mrs M and myself have been to a gig together in an age so should be a memorable night, as with a lot of these things I don`t think it will be entirely acoustic,

May 11th: Liam Gallagher and Richard Ashcroft in LA (quiet you...)
May 18th: John Prine at the Ace DTLA
June 1st: Yo La Tengo in Seattle
June 7th: A Place to Bury Strangers in San Diego - my band is opening up for them
July 27th: My Bloody Valentine in Chicago (I guess I'll be seeing you there Warmth!)

May 11th: Liam Gallagher and Richard Ashcroft in LA (quiet you...)
May 18th: John Prine at the Ace DTLA
June 1st: Yo La Tengo in Seattle
June 7th: A Place to Bury Strangers in San Diego - my band is opening up for them
July 27th: My Bloody Valentine in Chicago (I guess I'll be seeing you there Warmth!)

Great to see you’re supporting APTBS. We’ve toured with them a couple of times and are without doubt the best live, most professional and down to earth band we’ve met. Cannot speak highly enough of them. They’ll look after you!